“Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die” (Proverbs 30:7).

In verses seven through nine of Proverbs 30, Agur (identity unknown) requests of God two important things before he dies. Agur understands himself. He recognizes the frailties and weaknesses of his human nature. He knows he needs divine help or else failure will scar his life.

His first great area where victory was needed concerned lying. “Remove far from me vanity and lies” (v.8). He was vitally concerned about being an honest, truthful person at all times and in every situation. The apostle Paul gave warning about lying. “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:24,25). We should neither lie about others nor live a lie before others.

The second area where Agur felt especially needy was in trusting God to supply his daily sustenance. His request: “Feed me with food convenient for me” (v.8). In other words, he wanted God to take care of him one day at a time. He didn’t want the temptations that wealth brings: “Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD?” (v.9). He did not wish to be rich and forget the Lord or, on the other hand, be so poor that he would be tempted to steal and dishonor God and“take the name of my God in vain” (v.9).

The children of Israel were warned of this in Deuteronomy 8:11–14. “Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God . . . lest when thou hast eaten and are full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herbs and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied. . . . Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God.”

May we as New Testament Christians simply ask the Lord to “give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). NPS